#Gyūdon

[wikipediapictures]

Matsuya Foods

[xtruss]

Restaurants in central Osaka. Japanese rice consumption has been in decline since the 1960s. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

‘Bread Is Much Easier’: How Japan Fell Out Of Love With Rice

The traditional staple is losing the battle with more convenient and cheaper alternative foods

— Justin McCurry in Osaka | Sunday 9 July 2023

The Dojima branch of Yoshinoya in Osaka is doing a roaring lunchtime trade. As soon as one diner vacates their counter seat, another takes their place, while staff take just seconds to assemble the next order of the restaurant’s trademark dish: Gyūdon.

The Observer has joined the rush, ordering a set lunch of seasoned beef and onion on rice, and side dishes of pickled cabbage and miso soup – all for a extremely affordable ¥632 (£3.46).

A bowl of gyūdon, for years a symbol of Japan’s deflationary spiral, is the lunch of choice for time-poor office workers on a budget, even after the chain – which has about 1,200 outlets across the country – raised the dish’s price in 2021 for the first time in seven years.

But the enthusiasm with which they demolish bowl after bowl of the salty, satisfying dish masks an unsettling trend for its staple ingredient: the Japanese are eating less rice than at any time in their history.

And washoku (Japanese cooking) purists are worried. A short walk from the restaurant, a stone sculpture of a giant grain of rice – set against a murky river and an overhead expressway – is a reminder of Dojima’s historical connection to the cereal that has long-sustained the world’s third-biggest economy.

The Dojima rice exchange was the centre of Japan’s rice trade during the 18th and 19th centuries, a time of unprecedented prosperity for Osaka’s brokers when rice prices set here were disseminated, by flags and couriers, all the way to the capital Edo, present-day Tokyo.

Today, though, rice’s place in the Japanese food firmament is under strain from depopulation, changing lifestyles and the sheer proliferation of tasty alternatives.

Annual consumption of rice in Japan peaked in 1962, when every person ate an average of 118kg, or just over five average-sized bowls a day, according to the agriculture ministry. By 2020, per-capita consumption had more than halved to just under 51kg. And in 2011, Japanese households spent more on bread than on rice for the first time.

A bowl of Gyūdon, a popular and cheap dish of rice topped with beef and onions. Photograph: Justin McCurry/Observer

The seeds of what has become known as kome banare – or the “rice separation” – were sown during the years of breakneck economic growth, when the Japanese began eating more wheat-based products, such as bread and noodles and, later, pasta.

Several factors have combined to make rice less appealing than it was during the postwar years, when food choices were less eclectic and multigenerational households were the norm.

The rise of single households and the pressures of work and family life mean more people are putting convenience over loyalty to gohan – the Japanese word for cooked rice that is also used in a more general sense to describe any meal.

Today, though, a typical Japanese breakfast is more likely to be toast and a boiled egg than the traditional staple of rice, grilled fish, miso soup and pickles.

According to a recent survey by the rice distributor Makino, 84.8% of respondents said that they ate rice every day, but 68.1% said they only ate it once a day, with just 16.7% preferring it for all three meals.

“It’s much easier to have bread, especially in mornings,” says Nanami Mochida, a schoolteacher near Tokyo and mother of a teenage daughter.

“Preparing a Japanese-style breakfast takes more time,” she adds. “You need to rinse the rice first, then it can take 30 minutes to an hour to cook, even with a rice cooker.”

The Fukushima neighbourhood of Osaka was once home to about 50 rice shops; now just five remain, including Shigeru and Teruyo Okumura’s 100-year-old business, which stocks rice from around the country, along with homemade dango sweets, rice flour and ingredients for rice-based dishes, from boil-in-the-bag curries to seasoning for chirashi-zushi, a form of sushi.

“There is so much choice these days that people no longer automatically think of rice when they’re planning a meal,” says Shigeru, the third-generation owner of the shop.

“There’s a tendency even among people who enjoy cooking to think of rice as a bit orthodox – after all, there’s only one way of cooking it. But there are so many delicious dishes you can make with gohan.”

Enthusiast: Shigeru Okumura at his family’s rice shop in Osaka. Photograph: Justin McCurry/Observer

For Yukari Sakamoto, that means adding vegetables or grilled fish to the rice pot, with a splash of sake and soy sauce and a pinch of salt, to make takikomi-gohan, or seasoned raw seafood on boiled white rice.

“Younger people are more interested in eating a variety of dishes, not just the traditional Japanese rice, miso soup, and side dishes, which takes longer to cook than toast and eggs or a bowl of noodles,” says Sakamoto, author of Food Sake Tokyo.

“The quality of bread and an increasing number of bakeries make it easier to choose bread over rice. And rice isn’t cheap, so having bread or noodles is more affordable for a lot of people.”

With domestic consumption in decline, producers are looking overseas in an attempt to exploit the explosion in global interest in Japanese cuisine. Japan’s rice exports rose from 4,515 tonnes in 2014 to 22,833 tons in 2021 – a fivefold increase in seven years, with a third going to Hong Kong.

Yet exports still make up less than 0.5% of Japan’s domestic rice production, prompting agricultural cooperatives to encourage restaurants to serve more donburi (rice bowl) dishes exemplified by the ubiquitous Gyūdon.

“No Rice. No life.” — Okumura, An Aficionado and Trained Chef Who Describes Himself as a “95% Rice Person.”

But even aficionados like Okumura, a trained chef who describes himself as a “95% rice person”, concedes that occasional campaigns are unlikely to reverse rice’s decline. “It takes time to prepare rice,” he says, his T-shirt emblazoned with a simple message that leaves customers in no doubt about his loyalties: “No rice. No life.”

Yasufumi Horie has taken his devotion to rice further than most, cultivating a small paddy as part of his “kitchen garden” at his home in the rural Fukushima prefecture in Japan’s north-east. “When I moved here in 2007, I wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible,” says Horie, who expects to produce 90kg this autumn – enough to feed him for a year.

Horie, who eats brown rice at least twice a day, is optimistic that the grain will remain a staple, even for consumers with more adventurous palates. “My diet is basically rice-based, but I’m looking forward to the time when we have gone beyond thinking of gohan as just a big bowl of boiled white rice.”

[anne-bsd-bibliophile]

Food always seems more appetizing when it's in a book. I just finished reading The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami and blueberry muffins and tea were calling my name as a result.

[japa-meshi]

How to cook Gyūdon（beef bowl）

Gyudon is a typical Japanese fast food dish, but this dish alone is delicious enough on its own.😋 Click here for the recipe. ↓↓↓ https://japa-meshi.blogspot.com/2023/06/how-to-gyudonbeef-bowl.html

[churipu]

CALLING THEM "BRO" ₊˚⊹

featuring. gojo satoru, nanami kento, toji fushiguro x reader

warnings. none

note. yes, bro

GOJO SATORU. thought he had misheard you the first time, but when you did it again, he was pretty offended — would start to wonder what he did wrong for a while, and thought that maybe you had a little slip up. but when you didn't stop for the next few times, he gets so annoyed, because who do you think you are to call him "bro"?

"bro, look at that cake, it's so cute." you tell him nonchalantly, pointing at the display window of a small dessert bar you both were passing by.

"what?" he asks, wondering if he had heard right.

"bro, what?"

"baby, who are you calling bro?" gojo grunts out, stepping away from you — and when you disregarded his question by using another "bro", gojo just drops everything and gets so pissy.

"bro. of course i'm talking to you?" you answered him innocently, still eyeing the cake.

"baby, is this your way of asking me for a break up? because i'm not going to accept that, and we're not going to break up," he whines, pulling you into his embrace, "stop calling me bro, what happened to calling me "baby", or "handsome", or "toru"?" he buries his head into your shoulder.

"i'm kidding, 'toru." you brushed his hair.

"i don't like that, don't ever call me bro again." he murmurs, kissing your cheek, nipping on the flesh lightly.

NANAMI KENTO. nanami is a calm man — he says nothing the first time he heard the word "bro" escape your mouth. squeezing your hand lightly, he figured that you might have just had a mix up with your other slangs.

"what do you want to eat for dinner, bro?" you ask the male who was standing in line beside you; as you both wait for people in front of you to order their food.

nanami stares you down, blinking his eyes slowly before looking towards the menu, "everything looks delicious, what are you having, darling?"

one darling. was almost the end game for you — but you're a strong-willed person, and you were not backing down unless nanami had given out a strong reaction to the word "bro".

"i was thinking the . . . gyūdon, looks delicious, bro."

nanami spared another look at you, "is there a reason why you're calling me 'bro', bro." he said, arching a brow.

now it was your turn to blink at him, not expecting him to be up into the game with you — laughing lightly, you squeezed his hand tightly, "i was trying to get a reaction out of you, kento."

"i prefer the term 'honey' or 'sweetheart', but bro works too, i suppose." he smiles lightly, pulling you close to him as the both of you got closer to the cashier.

if it makes you happy; he'd even let you call him bro.

TOJI FUSHIGURO. this guy. immediately hates the sound of "bro" rolling over your tongue instead of the word "baby" like the usual. he will be silent — and will stare at you from across the room, beside you, wherever he currently is to make sure his ear was not deceiving him at the moment.

"hey, bro. do you think you could pass the comic book to me?" toji's eyes immediately darts to you, arching his brow and his lips pressed into a thin line.

"what did you just say?" he asks slowly, sitting straight up.

"pass the comic book to me?" you replied, "bro. just pass me the damn comic book."

he grabs your chin, tilting your head towards him, "say that again?" he asks, his eyes blinking slowly — maintaining a deep gaze with your e/c eyes.

"baby, can you pass me the comic book?" you finally dropped the act, your cheeks hurting from trying to suppress a smile from appearing (which you were failing at), "please?"

toji lets go of your chin and grabbed the comic book, "don't ever call me that again, y'hear me?" he rolled his eyes, sloppily kissing your lips as he passes the comic book to your grasp.

"depends on my mood."

"you're insufferable." toji clicked his tongue with a small smile.

© CHURIPU 2024 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE

[hifumi-123]

[denouemente]

[ drinks ] receiver brings sender a drink from their kitchen.

his apartment is meticulous, something some might call the sign of a neat freak but the reality is he knows it's because he's so busy. his back is towards @bllakcat, a sign of immense trust as he gets ready to uncork a bottle of plum wine he'd been saving for some time now. he didn't imagine himself sharing it with felicia when he bought this bottle — but now, as he rolls his sleeves up and reaches for his corkscrew, he doesn't know who else he'd share it with. he probably got it to congratulate himself on a job well done before returning to jujutsu society. how quickly things changed for him.

the bottle opens with a loud pop and nanami moves to fill the two glasses he's gotten out. “ here. ” he says, taking one of the glasses in his hand and walking over to his couch. she's sprawled out on it, acting like it's basically hers. he doesn't know if he likes her confidence or finds it annoying. he thinks he likes it. “ are you hungry? i was going to whip up some gyūdon. i only have leftover rice, though. if that's okay. ” he'd take the time to make new rice, but — if the chance presented himself to drink wine on the couch with a beautiful woman after a meal, he'd take it. and he was going to. hopefully she did too. the thought of drinking his oldest wine and then spending the night alone was a prospect he wasn't a huge fan of. “ or we could order, if you don't want to wait for me to cook. or i don't even have to cook. ” he was talking too much.

[malscare]

my lawyer is reining me in we are back to gyūdon gyūesday posting as scheduled

[bleedchan]

made gyūdon and fried rice from scratch and somehow both my parents liked it ( ・ ̫・)

[historias-multorum]

Basics.

Name: Aki Hayakawa Age: 28 Species: Human/Fiend host Orientation: Demisexual/Demiromantic Profession: Public Safety Devil Hunter

Physical Aspects.

Body Type: Tall and moderately muscular build .Eyes: Blue. Skin: Fair and a little tan Height: 6'0ft

Family.

Family: Both mother and father are dead Siblings: A little brother named Taiyo who is also dead Pets: The pet cat that Power has

Skills.

Swordsmanship Hand-to-Hand Combat Cooking

Enhanced Reflexes

Enhanced Durability

Likes.

Colors: Navy Blue, shades of black, auburn red Sounds: Thunder Storms, grunge music, a quiet apartment Textures: Pet fur, his blade Food: Gyūdon, fried seafood, curry rice, takeout Alcoholic Beverages: The occasional beer or glass of wine Favourites: Reading, Checkers & Chess, Indoor gardening, Journaling

Other Details.

Smokes: Occasionally yes Drugs: None Drivers License: Knows how to drive and has his license Ever Been Arrested: No.

Tagged by: Yoinked from @electricea

Tagging: If you drank water today you do it

[mimikip-stuff]

Ink Demonth: Meat

I've uh...been having cravings for gyūdon lately ^^;; there's something so comforting about it. So I decided to do a Bendy themed bowl!

The Bendy Beef Bowl! Hot rice topped with slices of premium meat, layered delicately on top of a bed of sautéed onions. The sauce is sweet honey and garlicky heat, dyed with squid ink to give it an inky appearance! Scallions are sprinkled and at the pinnacle is a rice ball of the cute lil demon himself, paired with a pickled plum!

[loosesodamarble]

OCs Favorite Foods

I'm just gonna share some of my ocs' favorite foods. Just because I'm feeling a little bored.

Black Clover

-Josele: lemon baked salmon -Helia: slow cooked pork ribs and veggies -Selen: trail mix with lots of dried fruit -Lorelei: baked lobster tail and pasta with white sauce -Lexi: half-baked mixed berry muffins

.....

Demon Slayer

-Shizuka: breakfast platter (there's lots of variation but her ideal breakfast consists of steamed rice, miso soup, sweet tamagoyaki, spinach with sesame dressing, pickled vegetables, and grilled mackerel) -Yumiko: yakitori -Ayami: steamed potatoes with butter -Masatsugu: pork soup with extra daikon -Norifumi: egg fried rice

.....

My Hero Academia

-Haruka: extra spicy curry with sweet potatoes -Ryouko: gyūdon -Kyouhei: creamy potato stew -Terumi: hiyashi chūka -Okami: tempura (specifically onion and carrot tempura) -Fukue: korokke

[unolvrs]

favourite japanese food vs favourite filipino food?

i'm boring when it comes to japanese food. i'm a classic: onigiri, sushi, etc. i'm very picky when it comes to how people cook my gyūdon because most restaurants cook it either too sweet or too savory and no! i hate that! i used to have a sweet tooth but now it's gone.

as for filipino food, i am all the way with my chicken curry, giniling, calamares, and bicol express hngggg. i am not an adobo or sinigang girl... mb guys... no one cooks adobo just right for my taste buds bc it's either too sweet, too salty, or too oily. i always have a complaint when eating adobo and my friends and mom side-eye me for it. as for sinigang, i just don't feel strongly for it. i'm, like, uhmmm okay.

i am a picky eater. i'll try whatever food you want me to but i'll have a strong opinion on it after <3

[punigamefoodie]

Gyūdon

"It's a standard size beef bowl. It's nice to be able to eat so much easily."

[todayisafridaynight]

wasn't ichi's favorite food beef bowl (Gyūdon)? like, the one you get at akaushimaru??

i mean he does eat it, but idk if that automatically means its his favorite

[everybody-loves-to-eat]

How about some gyūdon

coming right up